CUMBERLAND, Md., July 18 /PRNewswire/ -- AllCoNet2, one of the oldest Municipal Wireless networks in the United States, supplying cost-effective telecommunications and Internet services to government offices, schools, public safety agencies, and the public in Allegany County, Maryland, has received a prestigious "Smart Practices" designation by the National Incident Management Center (NIMS) Integration Center department of the US Government Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for providing innovative and highly-effective communications services to local public safety agencies. FEMA's Smart Practices designations provide examples of how various problems encountered by emergency response agencies have been solved.

The official designation for recognition of the AllCoNet2 network is "NIMS Smart Practice: 02-06" and can be found on the FEMA website at http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/nims_smart_practice.shtm. The Smart Practices designation for AllCoNet2 reads in part: "Allegany County, Md., has found a way to provide its response agencies with advanced telecommunications services such as enhanced interoperability, mobile high-speed data terminals and more by using innovative fixed wireless technology. The county's challenging terrain and the economics of a rural population base has made wireless systems or establishing newly wired infrastructure throughout the county difficult to achieve."

"We are very gratified to receive this Smart Practices designation from FEMA," said Jeff Blank, Chief Technical Officer, CONXX, Inc. which operates AllCoNet2 under contract and owns the unique technology developed for AllCoNet2. "The Smart Practices designation provides some recognition of the new types of services that AllCoNet2 has been able to provide to the very hard-working public safety agencies here in Allegany County."

AllCoNet2 provides highly reliable, secure, and cost-effective telecommunications and Internet Services to all local government agency offices in Allegany County and the City of Cumberland, Maryland, as well as all libraries, public schools, public safety agencies, and a number of not- for-profit organizations. AllCoNet2 has been in continuous development and evolution for more than a decade, making it one of the oldest "Municipal Wireless" systems in the US. Internet access for residential and commercial customers in Allegany County is provided under Open Access provisions by Internet Service Providers that resell AllCoNet2 services. In 2006, CONXX will begin providing outdoor Wi-Fi services in Cumberland, Maryland, also under Open Access provisions.

"We are working with a number of other communities to build networks similar to AllCoNet2," said David Kartchner, President of CONXX, Inc. "We want other communities to be able to enjoy the same benefits that AllCoNet2 has brought to Allegany County and Cumberland."

About (FEMA) National Incident Management Center (NIMS) Integration Center:

The NIMS Integration Center was established by the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide "strategic direction for and oversight of the National Incident Management System ... supporting both routine maintenance and the continuous refinement of the system and its components over the long term." The Center oversees all aspects of NIMS including the development of compliance criteria and implementation activities at federal, state and local levels. It provides guidance and support to jurisdictions and incident management and responder organizations as they adopt the system. The Center is a multidisciplinary entity made up of federal stakeholders and over time, it will include representatives of state, local and tribal incident management and responder organizations. It is situated within the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency. For more information on Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Incident Management System (NIMS) Integration Center, visit http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/nims.shtm.

About AllCoNet2:

AllCoNet2 is a network constructed and operated by a partnership of Allegany County, Maryland and the City of Cumberland, Maryland. Objectives for AllCoNet2 include expanding broadband/wideband telecommunications services to attract high-tech and bio-tech businesses, improving the telecommunications infrastructure of Allegany County to foster digital inclusion, and to provide telecommunication options for business start-ups and incubators. AllCoNet2 is administered by CONXX, Inc. under contract. For more information on AllCoNet2, visit http://www.allconet.org/.

About CONXX, Inc.:

CONXX, Inc. owns the unique technology developed for the innovative AllCoNet2 network in Allegany County, Maryland and is in discussions with a number of other government and commercial entities to construct networks very similar to AllCoNet2 in other areas. CONXX has considerably enhanced the original AllCoNet2 technology and offers EtherCell(TM), Carrier Communications Platform, and Carrier Communication Observer technologies to other companies for integration into other existing or new networks. For more information on CONXX, Inc. visit http://www.conxx.net/, or call 888-882-6699, or via email -- info@conxx.net.

CONTACT: Steve Stroh of CONXX, Inc., +1-888-882-6699, fax:
+1-888-992-6699, steve.stroh@conxx.net

Web site: http://www.conxx.net/
http://www.allconet.org/
http://www.fema.gov/emergency/nims/nims_smart_practice.shtm

• US Government & Federal Agencies Keen on Enterprise Architecture & SOA